Michigan Tech Students Are Wearing Gowns Made Out Of Recycled Bottles

Michigan Technological University is going green for spring commencement on April 28—”not in colour, but in spirit,” the college announced. “(The gowns) will be black as usual, but made of Repreve, which is 100 per cent recyclable yarn made from plastic water bottles,” the college said.

It takes 27 bottles to make the yarn for one gown, and with 1,000 students walking that means they’ll be wearing 27,000 bottles.

After years of bandying the idea around, the college finally made it happen. Now the Repreve gowns will be the standard going forward.

Repreve gowns are said to have a matte look, not wrinkle and feel incredibly soft against the skin.

The gowns can be recycled post-use and even better, they cost a tad less than traditional gowns. According to Grist, they’re $32 with tax as opposed to $32 plus tax.

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